


Ember

by Bangbam



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Do Seonghwa and Mingi have a ship name?, GET IT, M/M, Songhwa, Superpowers, if not i made them one, it is..., sorry ill leave now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 06:58:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17617667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bangbam/pseuds/Bangbam
Summary: "We're the people that society betrayed.They used to worship us, now we're treated like criminals.They made us, now we get to watch them burn"





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Wow I havent finished my another story and yet here I am starting a new one. This actually wasnt a thing until a few days ago. This is for my brother, Alyx, Seonghwa&Mingi are his favorite ship and he keeps complaining that there arent enough stories about them, so I took it into my own hands. And of course i had to add my own ship in there too😂. Anyways I hope you enjoy this story.

Seonghwa panted as he ran, grunting when he turned the corner too fast and hit the wall. He felt dizzy with sedatives running through his veins, sirens piercing his ears periodically, and red lights flashing above his head, it was all so disorienting. It was too much but he pushed through it and continued to run through the corridors. He had to get out. If he stopped they would catch him again and this time he didnt know if he would survive.

He gasped as the collar around his neck tightened slightly, automatic adjustment. Security was trying to make him pass out, it was working. He felt light headed and could feel himself start to stumble as he ran. In his dazed state, he failed to notice the guard running towards him and gasped when he hit the wall, an arm against his throat and a body pressing his into the wall. He knocked against the wall, hard, hearing a strange clicking sound and then suddenly he felt awake. He no longer felt dazed and slow. He could feel his fire running through his veins, quickly replacing the sedatives. 

Seonghwa struggled in the guard's hold, the heat quickly becoming slightly uncomfortable. He wasnt used to it, he was burning or at least he felt like he was. He could feel his skin heat up and the guard seemed to notice as well, wincing against the heat on his arm. 

"Sir, we have a situation" the guard spoke into the microphone on his uniform, staring at Seonghwa with apprehension. The fire just got hotter and Seonghwa began to struggle harder, shaking from side to side, anything stop the feeling.

"Whats the situation?" A faint voice spoke from the microphone.

"Patient 19's collar was damaged, he's overheating." The guard's voice became louder as Seonghwa began to yell, the heat becoming painful. 

"Wait for back up, get away from him now Smith!" a panicked voice yelled from the microphone but it was too late. Seonghwa grabbed the man's arm, causing him to yell out. The guard stumbled back, a handprint seared into his arm, as Seonghwa sank down to his knees before he slowly stood up. He stumbled towards the guard, reached towards him, pleas falling from his lips.

"Please, please make it stop" he sobbed but no tears fell, they evaporated before they could. He continued to stumble forwards as the guard stumbled back, eventually reaching a wall.

"Please!" He exclaimed, grabbing the man's face. Immediately his skin began to blister and in moments, he was dead. Seonghwa stared in horror as the man fell to the ground, burned alive just from his touch. He cried out as the heat spiked once more and curled inwards. He looked up, seeing the exit just down the corridor and began to stumble his way towards it. Seonghwa began to walk faster as it became clearer and eventually he met the door, metal melting under his hands. 

The cool night air helped clear some of the haze from his mind and he began running again. As he ran, his body became used to the temperature of the air, beginning to heat up once again. He pushed through it, running between trees and rocks, trying to put as much distance between himself and the prison as he could before he collapsed. As he breached through the trees into a small clearing, he felt his knees begin to give out. Seonghwa fell hard onto his knees but he didnt even wince because at that moment physical flames began to lick at his skin. He knew what this was but it hadnt happened for years. Was that why this was happening, because it had been suppressed for so long?

He yelled out once again as the flames engulfed his body, the heat became unbearable. Seonghwa fell forwards onto his hands as the temperature kept rising. The trees began to wilt and catch fire, the flames rising into the sky, lighting up the dark of night. Seonghwa gasped in pain as he grabbed at the collar still around his neck, the metal beginning to melt and burn his skin. He pulled and pulled and finally, it broke free, releasing whatever control it still had on his fire. The trees disintegrated as a blast of flames erupted once the collar was off and Seonghwa's pained screams broke the silence of night.


	2. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flames had grown weak and were easy to overwhelm. Eventually the flames died completely, only leaving steam from the hot water. A dark figure layed in the place the column had been, the group slowly made their way towards it and now that the flames were gone, Yunho slowly let the barrier dissolve as walked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOSAN PREVAILS!!!!!

Mingi glanced up as he felt a sudden rush of hot air blow through the trees. He heard shuffling next to him and looked over to see Jongho sitting up from where he was laying. Jongho looked at him curiously and Mingi just shrugged, not knowing the answer. 

"Hey guys!" they looked over just in time to see see Wooyoung jump off the small cliff he was sitting on, San following closely behind. They landed and quickly ran over.

"We need to go" Wooyoung panted as he stopped infront of them, "where's Yunho?" He looked around frantically.

"Why? Wooyoung what's wrong?" Mingi asked worriedly.

"Fire. There's alot of it" he spoke, still looking around panicked.

"I think he went to the creek" Jongho piped in. Wooyoung looked towards San, who just nodded and ran in the direction of the creek.

"Of course the one night we decide to stay out and train late, there's an explosion the size of a fucking bomb" Wooyoung sighed, running his hands through his hair. San and Yunho ran back to the group, Yeosang and Hongjoong following behind them.

"Okay we can go now" San spoke softly, beginning to run in the direction of the fire. The farther they walked, the hotter it got until it almost became unbearable. Mingi panted as he reached up to wipe sweat away from his eyes. 

"We can't go any farther guys, its too hot" Hongjoong stopped walking, looking around at the others. Suddenly there was another blast of hot air and Mingi yelped as it connected with his hand, causing the skin to blister. The heat was gone quickly as Yunho brought a barrier of water between them and the outside air.

"What was that?" Yeosang asked worriedly.

"Maybe it was another explosion?" Wooyoung asked, running a hand through his, now sweaty, hair. San nodded and turned to Yunho.

"Can you hold this?" He asked softly. Yunho nodded and they began to walk forwards again. They could hear the water sizzle against the air and it only got worse the closer they got. Eventually the trees just stopped, the ground was blackened and the smell of smoke filtered in through the water. They walked through the scorched area, stopping abruptly when they saw the fire, except it wasn't a regular fire. It was just a column of flames reaching into the sky. Suddenly it expanded, rapidly approaching the group. Mingi threw his hands infront of him, watching as the flames began to slow to a stop. He looked around at the frozen figures of his friends and flicked his wrist to the left, watching the flames recede back to the column. As they became whole again he released his hold and everything unfroze.

"What happened?" Yeosang asked, a strange feeling taking over his body.

"In exactly thirty seconds that column of flames is going to explode" Mingi stated and suddenly everyone understood what had happened.

"Yunho, add more water, Yeosang can you wrap something around us too, anything will work as long you can keep making it grow." Hongjoong asked and they both nodded extending their hands. Just like Mingi had said, twenty-six seconds later the column exploded outwards again but this time they were ready for it. They felt to force of the blast around them but held where they were. While they fought against the blast, Mingi could swear he heard something over the sound of the flames roaring around them.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?!" He yelled to the others. Most of them shook their heads, except Wooyoung. A pair of, what looked to be a dog of some kind, ears appeared on his head and he winced before adjusting to all the sounds.

"He's right," he yelled, "it sounds like someones screaming." He looked around at the others worriedly.

"Screaming?" Hongjoong yelled in disbelief. Wooyoung just nodded and edged closer to the barrier, trying to pin-point where it was coming from.

"It sounds like it's close by" Wooyoung lifted himself away from the barrier and the ears disappeared. "What if someone is out there?" 

"Then we look after the flames recede again" Yunho spoke with finality, sweat building on his brow from exertion. He had a scowl on his face from the force of keeping the barrier from boiling into nothing the moment it touched the flames.

"Bu-"

"Wooyoung," San spoke softly, laying a hand on Wooyoung's shoulder. Wooyoung looked at him sadly and San gave him a small smile, an attempt to comfort him.

"San, we have to do something" he spoke softly, the roar of the flames making it sound like whisper. 

"We can't right now Wooyoung, if we go out there we will die," San held his hand out and Wooyoung shifted until the side of his face pressed into the open palm. He had a pained expression but nodded anyway. San gave a small smile and ran his thumb over the other's cheekbone.

"It'll be okay" San whispered, placing his forehead against Wooyoung's. Mingi looked over at the pair and smiled. They complimented each other well. He had always thought that, seeing them together only solidified that opinion and yet for some reason they refused to become more than what they were.

Mingi turned to look at the barrier when the roar of flames became louder, the pressure inside the ball increasing. He looked over at Yeosang when he heard the other grunt. Yeosang looked tired. He had a flush running over his face and down into his shirt, sweat rolled down his temples, and Mingi could see the way his hands shook.

"Do you need me to stop it?" He asked worriedly, watching as the pink-haired shook his head. Suddenly the force began to increase rapidly and then it just stopped. The world seemed to just go still, no sound, no movement. Mingi would have thought it had frozen again if the others weren't moving as well.

"What happened?" Hongjoong looked around in confusion.

"I dont know," Yunho panted from where he was crouched on the ground, Jongho wiping his sweaty bangs out of his eyes. Yunho looked up at him gratefully and closed his eyes.

"Should we take down the barrier?" Yeosang asked, sinking to his knees as his legs shook. Hongjoong nodded and Yeosang slowly clenched his fist. The vines that had been wrapped around them slowly receding back to the ground.

"I can keep going for a bit," Yunho spoke, eyes still closed and hands shaking. Hongjoong looked at him doubtfully. "Don't make me take it down Hongjoong. We dont know how hot the air is outside of this bubble" he opened his eyes to look at Hongjoong, Jongho's hand still running through his hair. Hongjoong said nothing, only nodded in agreement. With the vines almost completely gone they could see outside again. The fire was still there but considerably smaller now, almost like it's life source was dying out. Mingi remembered the screaming from earlier and stood up straighter, turning to the others.

"What about the screaming from earlier?" The group looked at him. Wooyoung still had a pained look on his face, the screaming had stopped.

"It stopped," Jongho spoke and the others nodded. "Do we try and find out what it was? Or do we find the source of this fire first and put it out?" By this time he had stopped running his hands through Yunho's hair and had stepped back.

"We should stop the fire first," Hongjoong suggested. They all agreed and turned to Wooyoung.

"Wooyoung?" San asked, moving his hand up to hold the back of Wooyoung's neck.

"Yeah?" He replied weakly. He already knew what they wanted but he wanted to find the person screaming. He wanted to help.

"We need you now, okay?" Wooyoung sighed but nodded. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again they were no longer the deep brown they usually were but instead were a stunning silver color. He moved closer to the barrier and stopped just infront of it, scanning over the area near the column of fire. It was still rapidly decreasing and as the column got smaller he could vaguely make out a figure. He narrowed his eyes and continued to watch. The figure jerked upward and the fire grew for a moment before the figure slumped over again, the fire dying with it.

"There's a person in the center" he whispered in disbelief. Mingi, who was standing closest to him, felt his eyes widen as well.

"What do you mean a person?" He asked staring at Wooyoung, who turned to give him an annoyed stare.

"Exactly what I said. A person, a human being, okay maybe not a human being but still" Wooyoung snapped, clearly irritated about the situation. Mingi flinched back and gave the other an apologetic smile.

"Are you sure it was a person?" Jongho asked, stepping towards the wall as well. 

"Yes I'm sure, I sat and watched it move" Wooyoung growled and San decided it was time to intervene. Walking forward, he smacked the side of Wooyoung's neck. The other turned his face to him with an angry look on his face. San remained unfazed, holding eye-contact until Wooyoung looked away with a huff.

"There's no need for that right now Wooyoung," he chastised and the silver-haired boy huffed again. San sighed but let it go for now. "Now you said there was a person in the fire?" He continued in a softer tone. Wooyoung looked at him and nodded.

"Then we need to find a way to put out the fire, soon" Hongjoong spoke this time, having watched the scene and feeling the tension. "Yunho I know you are already doing so much but can you do a bit more just for a bit," he asked looking at Yunho, who was now sitting on the ground. Yunho nodded and slowly stood up.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked once he was standing.

"I need you to send water over to the fire and try to overwhelm it. Wooyoung said there was a person in there, so we shouldnt have to encircle a very big area. Just enough to surround the source." Yunho nodded and extended his arms again. He was still shaking but pushed past it, focusing on doing two things at once. A stream of water left the barrier, making its way towards the fire. It began to sizzle but Yunho forced it onward, finally beginning to encircle the bottom area of the column. The flames had grown weak and were easy to overwhelm. Eventually the flames died completely, only leaving steam from the hot water. A dark figure layed in the place the column had been. The group slowly made their way towards it and now that the flames were gone, Yunho slowly let the barrier dissolve as walked.

As they walked closer Jonho gasped, looking at the body of a man. He was unconscious and laying on his side. The water quickly began to evaporate from his body, steam rising from his body.

"Wow, there really was a person in there" Jongho said in disbelief. Wooyoung growled and crossed his arms.

"I told you there was but do any of you believe me, no. Im not a kid anymore, I can be trusted" he exclaimed, gesturing to the body and ending with a huff. San sighed and smacked his neck again, causing him to yelp.

"What was that for?!" He exclaimed, turning to glare at San again.

"Stop it," San stated. He was done with this. If Wooyoung didnt want to be treated like a kid then he had to stop acting like one first.

"But they nev-" Wooyoung began only stop when San raised his hand again. "Okay, okay, just stop hitting me" he grumbled turning towards the body again, ignoring the people around him. San rolled his eyes but looked forward again anyway.

"So what do we do now?" Mingi asked awkwardly, trying to break the tension. Hongjoong let out the breath he had been holding and walked over to the body. He crouched down, examining the person infront of him. The man had blonde hair that fell just above his eyes while it was wet. He also had faint burn marks on his body, the most prominent being a circle around his neck. Almost like a collar. 

Suddenly Hongjoong stood and looked down at the man in surprise.

"He's an escapee" he whispered and Mingi looked at him in confusion before the statement became clearer.

"An escapee? Are you sure? There hasnt been one of those for years," Mingi walked beside Hongjoong, stopping to look at the body as well.

"Im sure, look at his neck" Mingi crouched down and took a closer look at the man's neck and sure enough there was a collar mark.

"Wow, i wonder how he got out" Yeosang, who had been standing behind them before now, stepped forward.

"My guess is that it had something to do with the fire we saw earlier." Mingi stood and looked at Hongjoong. "What do we do now?"

"Well we can't just leave him here. We have to take him with us, he can stay in the vault room until we make sure that he's stable" Mingi nodded and bent down once again, slipping his arms under the other. He winced slightly at the heat still coming off his skin but picked him up anyway. The group of three turned to the others. They found Jongho and Yunho standing by themselves, San and Wooyoung were no where to be seen. 

"Yeah, uh..., they left a bit ago. I think they were both pretty angry and yeah..." Jongho spoke, rubbing the back of his neck. Hongjoong sighed but said nothing, just beginning to walk back towards their base. Mingi grimaced at the implications made by the youngest but followed closely behind Hongjoong, looking down at the man in his arms. From his blonde hair, then to his lips that pouted slightly in his unconscious state, and finally down to what was left of his clothes. They had many holes in them but surprisingly stayed in tact. He wondered how the man had even survived. With that thought, they made their way back to base in silence, the night's event replaying in each of their minds.


	3. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Did he survive?"

"Did he survive?" The man spoke, his back facing the door. The woman nodded.

"I can't hear your head shake Miranda" the man spoke in a bored tone as if he was used to this happening.

"S-sorry sir, yes he survived," the woman stuttered. The man hummed and brought a hand to the glass sitting on his desk, bringing the glass to his lips.

"What an interesting turn of events," he hummed, a thoughtful look on his face. He looked out at the forest, part of which was still smoking and smiled.

"Very interesting indeed"


	4. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I wonder what'll happen when he wakes up" Mingi said, looking at the man's shifting face.
> 
> "My guess? He'll probably flare up again" Mingi hummed and brushed the blond hair from the man's forehead, jumping when the other gasped slightly, his eye lids fluttering open.

Mingi grunted as they walked up the stairs to the door, the heat on his arms becoming a little more than uncomfortable at this point. The man's body was beginning heat up again. Hongjoong pushed the door open, letting Mingi through and the other two followed.

"Do you think Chan is here?" Mingi asked, wincing as the heat spiked.

"Yeah, I'm here" A blond haired male spoke, walking through one of the doorways.

"Um...we need into the vault room and maybe a bed. Preferably, one that he can't melt" Mingi explained, lifting the body a bit higher, bringing Chan's attention to the other blond. Chan ran his eyes over his figure and hummed, walking towards Mingi. He stopped just in front of the other and placed a hand on the man's forehead, wincing and quickly pulling away.

"He's almost scorching, how are you still holding him Mingi?" Chan asked in disbelief. Mingi shrugged and adjusted his arms.

"I dont know for sure, it's probably because of my coat but I do know for sure that I wont be able to for much longer, my arms are burning off" he spoke, biting his lip to keep from making a pained noise.

"Right, right. Follow me" Chan jumped, walking back down the hallway he came from. "We dont have anything in there right now but I can move something in quickly, just give me a moment." Mingi nodded and gently laid the man on the floor, sighing in relief once he was released.

"Jisung!" Chan yelled down the hall and there was a gust of wind, a short boy appearing infront of him.

"Yeah?" The boy, Jisung, asked.

"I need you to bring a bed from the infirmary in here and go to my room and grab the fire proof sheets," Jisung nodded and in another gust of wind, he was gone. Mingi just watched in confusion.

"Can I ask why you have fire proof sheets?" He asked, looking at the other.

"You really dont wanna know" and Mingi just nodded, agreeing with him. Knowing Chan, that was probably a true statement, this dude was weird in ways that Mingi couldnt even imagine.

"Anyway, Jisung will be back soon and I have stuff to do, so I'll leave you here with your prize and be off" Chan said, turning and walking towards the door. Mingi opened his mouth to protest against the statement but Chan was out the door before he could. He slowly closed his mouth and turned to look at the body on the ground. He sat beside the man and watched him, as creepy as that was. He watched as the man's face would shift ever so slightly and then smooth back to it's original peaceful expression, it was fascinating.

"I'm back!" Mingi looked up at the sound of Jisung's voice. He had an infirmary bed with a pile of blue fabric on it, Mingi guessed those were the sheets. "Sorry it took so long, Chan has way to much stuff under his bed. Also dont think I didnt see you creepin. You're really not subtle, you know." Mingi opened his mouth to protest once again but decided against it, he wouldnt fall into Jisung's trap. Arguing with this kid was pointless and by now almost everyone had learned better. He loved to argue and enjoyed purposely rileing people up. He stood and walked towards the other, helping him move the bed into the room and dress it.

"Thank you" Mingi's voice was soft as he spoke, almost like he was afraid to break the silence. Jisung nodded and was gone before Mingi could blink. He made his way over to the man still laying on the floor and bent down to pick him up, sighing in relief when he noticed that the heat was lower. The man's body temperature was almost normal for now. Mingi gently laid him on the bed, covered him to his waist and stepped back.

"Hows he doing?" Mingi jumped from the sudden voice, turning to see Yunho standing behind him in the doorway.

"His body temperature is almost normal right now" Mingi turned back towards the bed and Yunho walked up next to him, looking down at the man.

"The burns are already almost gone, huh" Yunho reached out to run his fingers over the fading mark on the others neck. The man's eyelids shifted and Yunho quickly removed his hand.

"I wonder what'll happen when he wakes up" Mingi said, looking at the man's shifting face.

"My guess? He'll probably flare up again" Mingi hummed and brushed the blond hair from the man's forehead, jumping when the other gasped slightly, his eye lids fluttering open. Mingi jumped back, trying to remove his hand but a grip on his wrist stopped him.

"P-please dont, feels good" the man mumbled, pressing Mingi's hand back to his forehead. Mingi looked over at Yunho with a pleading, almost scared look. Yunho just shrugged, smiled and walked out, leaving Mingi alone once again.

"You fucker, see if I ever help you again" Mingi grumbled, shifting his feet and causing the man's eyes to flutter open once again.

"Where 'm I?" The man mumbled once again, slurring his words slightly.

"You're safe, just rest for now and when you're better we'll explain" Mingi spoke softly. The man shifted his body with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Can't. It's too hot" the man sounded more awake now, more oriented. He still had a grimace on his face and Mingi could feel heat growing beneath his hand. The man was going to flare up again, Yunho had been right. Mingi quickly removed his hand, causing the man to whine slightly. Mingi felt bad for him, he really did but he wasnt going to get burned again. At least not intentionally. The man was shifting more now, sweat beginning to show on his brow and Mingi panicked.

"Yunho! We need you in here!" Mingi yelled, panicked and stepped a bit farther away from the bed. 

"No, dont leave! Please help, make it stop, please!" The man lurched forward, grabbing Mingi's hand, causing the skin to blister. Mingi cried out in pain and the man quickly retracted his hand, tumbling off the man.

"I'm sorry! Im so sorry!" The man exclaimed, curling into a ball.

"I dont know what's happening, please help" The man pleaded, panting and wincing from the heat once again. Yunho quickly ran into the room and stopped as soon as he opened the door, surveying the scene. Mingi was on his knees next to the man, cradling his burnt hand but not moving away, and the man was curled up on the floor, repeating apologies and pleas like a mantra.

"Mingi step back" Yunho commanded, running toward the man.

"Bu-"

"Just go to the doorway with the rest" Mingi looked up, just now noticing that everyone had gathered in the doorway, watching. He stumbled to his feet and walked towards the door, turning his head to watch the scene as he walked.  The man looked up as Yunho stopped just above him.

"Please..." He pleaded softly, not having the strength to speak louder.

"You're really troublesome to look after, you know that?" Yunho said, kneeling down next to the man. He slowly extended his hand, lightly brushing the others skin. He winced when he felt the high temperature and closed his eyes before reaching out again. This time he didn't feel it when he laid his hand again the arm, water trailing from his fingers to the burning skin. The man relaxed slightly and almost sobbed in relief as the cool water made its way across his body. The water didnt last very long though and was already beginning to boil and evaporate. 

"Okay, im gonna need you to hold your breath. Can you do that?" Yunho asked, extending his other hand as well. The man nodded and glanced over at Yunho cautiously. He was scared but wasn't going to protest, already feeling the heat return.

He held his breath and Yunho placed both hands against his arms, water slowly encasing his entire body. Soon he was trapped inside a bubble of water, relaxing as he felt his body begin to cool down again. Eventually the bubble disappeared, leaving him slightly dizzy from lack of air.

"Better?" Yunho asked, standing up. He nodded and slowly looked around, eyes stopping on the group of people at the door. He could feel his face flush from having been seen so vulnerable by so many people.

"Is he good now?" A blue-haired man asked, walking towards them.

"Yeah, for now at least. We need to try and get it controlled before he has another flare up, I might not be around next time that happens" the man nodded and kneeled down next to the man as well.

"Can you talk?" He asked and the man flicked his gaze onto him. The man looked at him suspiciously but seemed to deem him trustworthy, opening his mouth to speak.

"Yes I can" the man spoke, voice rough, wincing from the pain in his throat. Mingi reached out and pushed his wet bangs from his eyes.

"Whats your name?" He asked and watched as the man's face turned thoughtful.

"I-I dont remember" he whispered, looking away from Mingi.

"Hey its okay, we can give you a new one or you could even choose, if you wanted." Mingi reached out again, for some reason feeling compelled to touch the other. He laid a hand against his arm in comfort and the other looked over briefly again.

"Seonghwa" he spoke suddenly, startling Mingi.

"What?"

"Thats my name. I heard it once at the prison and it's the only actual name that I know" the man spoke, refusing to look once again. Mingi sighed but didnt force him to look.

"Great! Seonghwa, I like it" Mingi smiled.

"Is your hand okay?" The man, Seonghwa, asked, a guilty tone filtering into his voice.

"Wha- oh yeah its fine" Mingi was lying but he wasnt going to outright say that he was ready cry from the pain.

"You know, you're really bad at lying" Seonghwa said, looking over at the other. Mingi looked up surprised and smiled sheepishly.

"No really it d-" he started.

"Save it. If it didnt hurt, you would have to have no pain receptors at all and based off the way you yelled when I touched you, I'd say that you felt it just fine" Seonghwa gently grabbed Mingi's hand and brought it closer to look at it. "I'm really sorry, you know. I dont even know why this is happening." After that was said, they sat in silence for a while, unaware of the eyes still watching them. After about ten minutes Seonghwa spoke up again.

"Can I get off the floor now?" He asked, looking at Mingi. 

"Oh yeah, of course" Mingi quickly stood and helped Seonghwa stand as well. Seonghwa still felt weak but he didnt want to just lay around anymore.

"We can go get you some food if you want" Seonghwa nodded and they turned, finally noticing the crowd still standing at the door.

"Why are you still here?" Mingi asked, ears turning pink slightly.

"That was interesting to watch" Wooyoung stated with a smirk on his lips.

"Shut up and let us through" Mingi grumbled and waited until they moved before helping Seonghwa walk to the kitchen.

"Can I ask a question?" Seonghwa asked as they walked.

"You just did but sure, go for it" Mingi spoke, adjusting his grip on the other.

"What's your name? I never caught it back there" Seonghwa asked sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, its Mingi"

"Mingi" Seonghwa liked the way it rolled off his tongue, "huh, I like it." By this time they had made it to the kitchen. Mingi helped Seonghwa sit at the counter and turned towards the stove.

"What do you want?" He asked, rummaging around in the cabinets.

"Um... I don't really know very many foods" Seonghwa spoke softly, slightly embarrassed at not knowing anything.

"Have you ever had waffles?" Mingi asked, turning to look at the other.

"No..." Seonghwa trailed off and Mingi gasped.

"You've never had waffles?! They're only the best food ever" Mingi exclaimed dramatically, "thats it, I'm making you waffles"

"Okay..." Seonghwa took to looking around the room so that he didn't stare at Mingi the whole time.

"Here" Seonghwa was startled by a plate being placed in front of him, four waffles placed on top. He looked at it and licked his lips, stomach growling from the lack of food.

"Now, after you eat we need to introduce you to everyone" Mingi spoke and Seonghwa nodded, mouth full.

"We also need to find you a change of clothes," this caused Seonghwa to look down, just now realizing the state that his clothes were in. He hummed and Mingi seemed pleased. Then they became silent again, except for the occasional sound of the fork hitting the plate. It was peaceful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the weird ending as well as not updating for a long time. Anyway I hope you have fun trying to guess everyone's powers or making predictions about them. I would love to hear your guesses/predictions. Have a nice day! Bye!


	5. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Uhh...what is a sink?"
> 
> "You dont know what a sink is?"
> 
> "No, now would you stop wasting oxygen and help me find this thing you called a sink!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is gonna have very slow updates until I get Twilight done but I might try and update more often

"Do you know how old you are?" Mingi asked, watching Seonghwa scrape the last pieces of food off his plate. Seonghwa hummed and licked his lips. He hadnt eaten like that since, well, ever.

"No, I stopped counting after 12. I didn't see a reason to because I thought I would never leave that building" Seonghwa answered, sitting back in his chair and looking down at his lap. He was startled again at the state of his clothes. He blushed, realizing that he was practically naked in front of a bunch of strangers. Oh well, wouldnt be the first time. Mingi saw Seonghwa grimace at his clothes and gave a small smile.

"Would you like new ones?" He asked and Seonghwa looked at him with a surprised expression, "the clothes, I mean, would you like new ones?" Mingi gestured towards his barely there shirt. There were holes all over the fabric, the most prominent being a giant hole on the torso, just under his chest. Seonghwa guessed that it was from him grabbing himself earlier. 

"Yes I would like that very much, thank you" Seonghwa bowed his head slightly, sending a small thankful smile towards Mingi.

"Alright, come on then" Mingi stood, nodding towards the door. He walked out the door and Seonghwa stood to follow him, holding the plate in his hands. He looked around quickly, slightly panicked that he might lose Mingi in the hallways. He spun in a circle until someone cleared their throat behind him. He turned to see Mingi leaning against the door frame and smiled sheepishly, slightly lifting the plate. Mingi sighed and laughed quietly.

"Just put it in the sink" Mingi told him and Seonghwa bit his lip. He tried to look around briefly, looking for something that might be a sink, "whats wrong?" Mingi asked when Seonghwa hadnt moved.

"Uhh...what is a sink?" Seonghwa asked, still looking around the room. Mingi stared at him for a moment, lips slightly parted in surprise.

"You dont know what a sink is?" He asked in disbelief and Seonghwa looked at him, giving him a slightly panicked look because he couldnt find a sink.

"No, now would you stop wasting oxygen and help me find this thing you called a sink!" Seonghwa exclaimed. He just wanted to put this damn plate down and the only person he knew was being an idiot.

"Oh-uh-It's right there" Mingi finally answered, pointing towards a hole in the counter. Seonghwa cautiously walked towards it and stopped, looking at it.

"This is a sink?" He asked, looking down. It just looked like a hole in the counter with a pipe at the top. He tilted his head to the side and leaned down to look closer. He saw no possible use from its outside. What was this thing for?

"What is this used for?" Seonghwa voiced his thoughts, leaning down farther to put his head next to the metal bottom.

"Oh, here put your plate in it and I'll show you" Mingi said, walking to meet him in front of the sink. Seonghwa listened, carefully sitting the plate in the basin. Mingi turned a nob and water began to flow out of the pipe. Seonghwa gasped quietly. These were like the baths the scientists had given him in the prison-except smaller, much, much smaller.

"We use it to clean things and get water to cook with" Mingi explained, wiping the plate with a sponge. Seonghwa stuck out his hand and gently put his fingers into the water. It was warm, not cold or hot. It felt good.

"This is a tiny bath" he stated, removing his fingers from the water. Mingi laughed, turning off the water and drying the plate. 

"Hmm, not quite. We don't bath in the sink, we have tubs for that." Mingi stacked the plate with the others and Seonghwa mentally catagorized the information as well as the placemnet of things in this room.

"Tubs? They are big sinks, right? I had one in the prison I think" Seonghwa thought aloud and Mingi looked at him, watching as his expression changed while he thought. Seonghwa had a very expressive face. 

"Yeah sure, we can call tubs big sinks" Mingi nodded. Seonghwa hummed, staring at the sink one last time before looking at Mingi. Mingi saw him look over and smiled.

"Are you ready to get clothes now?" He asked and Seonghwa nodded, walking to stand next to him.

"We can go, I have learned and will remember" Seonghwa nodded as he spoke, waiting for Mingi to leave.

"Okay, let's go then" Mingi turned and pushed the door open again, leading them out into the hallway. They walked down the hallway for a bit before meeting a group of people. A few of them Seonghwa recognized from the room earlier, the other he had no idea about.

"Wow, look at those abs dude, you've got a really nice stomach" a boy, looking slightly younger than Seonghwa, said bending down to look through the biggest hole in his shirt. The boy reached out to poke Seonghwa's stomach, ooh-ing when he met muscle. Seonghwa looked down at his stomach and wrapped his arms around himself, glaring at the boy.

"Wooyoung, you cant just go around looking up people's shirts, you savage" the boy next to the other, Wooyoung, hissed, grabbing his outstretched arm and smacking the back of his head. Wooyoung hissed, rubbing his head.

"God San, would you stop hitting me? Youre gonna make me lose whatever brains cells I have left and trust me, I dont have any to spare" Wooyoung hissed, glaring at the taller, San. Seonghwa was still defensively holding himself, watching the interaction with interest and mentally writing down their names. He would remember them in the future.

"If you dont mind me asking, its because of the fire, isn't it?" A blond man asked, staring curiously at him almost like he was trying to analyze him. Seonghwa tensed at the addressment and stared at him wide-eyed.

"Wh-what?" Seonghwa stuttered and the blond smiled.

"The 'abs' as Wooyoung called them, the lack of body fat. It's because of the fire, right?" He explained farther.

"I-i dont know..." He lifted his arms to look at his stomach again.

"You don't? Aw, that's a bummer I was curious. Do you wanna hear what i think caused it because honestly, I dont believe there are gyms and dieting in the prison, right? So it cant be intentional and no one is naturally that fit so i have come up with a theory on what caused it."

"O-oh okay, su-sure" Seonghwa backed up slightly, squeezing his sides. He didnt like this one, he was too much. He made Seonghwa feel like he was on display for the world to see, like his every action was being analyzed before he even did it.

"Well as you know, my theory is the the fire running through your body is what caused your physical state. Im thinking that its something similar to the Flash's super metabolism. Do you know the Flash?" He asked and Seonghwa hesitantly shook his head. The other sighed and nodded.

"Alright, so you know absolutely nothing, okay. Well the Flash had a super metabolism and has practically no body fat because of it. The food is digested so fast that he has no time to gain it. That is what I think the fire does to you, except burning the calories away instead. Let me guess, you are always hungry, have a naturally high body temperature, never gain any weight at all, and are most likely underweight based from your lack of fats." The blond stated all at once and Seonghwa could swear that his head actually spun from it all. He stared blankly at the other for a moment until Mingi's voice broke through the daze.

"Dont overload him Chan, he just got into the free world. I would like for him to enjoy it before you make his brain fry" Mingi chuckled slightly, throwing an arm over Seonghwa's shoulder. Seonghwa jumped and stared at the arm in bewilderment. Mingi was touching him. He was being touched by another person and that person wasnt melting yet.

"Ah Mingi, fire dude looks like hes about to bite your arm off" the boy from earlier, Wooyoung, stated in amusment. Mingi turned to look at Seonghwa, who hadnt noticed that they were talking about him and was still staring at Mingi's arm. Mingi chuckled, shaking the other slightly causing him to look up at his face, a red hue staining his pale cheeks.

"You good?" Mingi asked with a smile and Seonghwa cleared his throat before nodding jerkily.

"I think he is not used to the physical contact" the blond, Chan, stated while looking between the two of them, "also Seonghwa, was it? I would absolutely love to find out more about your abilities if you would be willing to let me run a few painless tests but I completely understand if the answer is no. You have just escaped the scientists there and probably do not want another near you."

Seomghwa bit his lip and shakily nodded, "Maybe..."

Chan smiled and clapped, "alright then, I am going to go now. I have people to get back to, I will see you at another time" 

With that he walked past them down the hallway, presumably to where ever he was going before they stopped. 

"Well, we should probably go too" the taller, San, spoke while gently grabbing Wooyoung's arm and pulling them to the side, turning around a corner. Mingi shook his head at them and sighed.

"Are they together?" Seonghwa asked in confusion and Mingi choked before laughing loudly. Seonghwa looked at him with a slightly hurt look. He was just curious, there was no reason to laugh at him for it.

"Nevermind" he muttered beginning to walk down the hall, even if he didnt know where he was supposed to be going.

"No, no, come back. I wasnt laughing at you, i promise. I just thought that it was funny because everyone thinks that" Mingi jogged to stand in front of Seonghwa, stopping him from walking any farther.

"They are a bit complicated, i guess" Mimgi began to explain and Seonghwa looked even more confused .

"How is it complicated, is it not a yes or no answer?" Seonghwa asked in confusion, furrowing his eyebrows in thought.

"Not quite, they are not actually together but they are together, if you know what I mean by that" Mingi tried to explain again but Seonghwa still looked lost.

"Im afraid that I do not, I'm sorry" He apologized for not understanding and Mingi thought his speech was adorable. He talked like an old person.

"Its alright-um- they are, how do I say this? They are friends with benefits?" Mingi tried to explain farther. Seonghwa hummed and thought about it.

"What are these 'friends with benefits'?" Seonghwa asked, looked up at Mingi's face. Mingi blushed and coughed a bit to clear his throat.

"Uh, how about fuck buddies, do you know what those are?" Mingi asked again, hoping he didnt have to explicitly explain everything. Seonghwa tilted his head in thought before humming.

"According to what I was taught, the word fuck is a profane word also sometimes used as another way to say sex. Are they sexual partners, Mingi?" Seonghwa asked this time, watching as Mingi flushed slightly darker at the other's bluntness.

"Alright, okay. Yes they are sexual partners" Mingi answered with a nod. Seonghwa nodded again.

"Why did you not just say that to start with? It is a basic human need- why are you flushed Mingi?" Seonghwa asked in confusion, not understanding why Mingi was so flushed. This was not an embarrassing topic, it was a human function much like breathing or sleeping.

"No reason and Seonghwa?" Mingi waited until the shorter hummed before continuing, "usually people in the outside world dont talk about who they have sex with so casually, maybe try to be less blunt around the others"

Seonghwa looked at him before shrugging.

"Are all outside people as sensitive as you are? Are they all embarassed of their needs? You have them, correct? Why do you not t-" Seonghwa asked and Mingi choked again. He regretted even trying to explain anything, he should have just said no instead of all this.

"No- Seonghwa, we're not going to talk about this okay? We're going to go get you some clothes and forget that this even happened" Mingi squeaked, turning and walking quickly towards his room. Seonghwa made a face at Mingi's back before walking behind him at a slightly slower pace. Outside people were so weird.


	6. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This shirt is defective" he stated, holding the shirt out to Mingi. Mingi looked at the shirt in his face to the man standing in front of him. Seonghwa sighed with a look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...turns out that this story is just gonna be a lot more sexual then Twilight is🤷

Seonghwa followed slowly behind Mingi as he pushed open a door and stepped into a room, walking to the far wall.

"What do you want to wear?" He turned and looked at Seonghwa, who jumped, a bit surprised when he noticed that Mingi was looking at him.

"I- I don't know..." He trailed off, looking down at his white outfit, "I've only ever worn this..."

In the prison they wrre assigned uniforms, all white button up shirts and black pants. Seonghwa had never worn anything else and didnt know what to choose. Mingi looked at him before beginning to mutter to himself, turning and sliding open the door to, what seemed to be, a closet.

"What do have that will fit him Mingi? What can you give him that wont totally swallow him?" He muttered as he moved clothing around. He stopped, making a little 'aha' sound while turning, holding up a pair of black sweatpants and a white tee shirt. Simple.

"Here, change into these clothes. They're San's so they should fit you better than mine would have" Mingi handed Seonghwa the clothes and Seonghwa looked at them. He moved them around in his hands, fingering the soft fabric. They felt so different than the stiff fabric of his uniforms.

He began to unbutton his shirt, making it halfway down his chest before Mingi stopped him. 

"Wait!" He exclaimed, lunging forward to grab Seonghwa's hand and stop him. Seonghwa looked at him in confusion, noticing that the flush was back to his cheeks.

"What?" Seonghwa asked in confusion, releasing the shirt bottons and letting his hand fall to his side. 

"What are you doing?" Mingi asked, looking at him with an alarmed look.

"You told me to change into the clothes..." Seonghwa trailed off, lifting the clothes slightly as if to prove a point. He was beginning to feel like he had done wrong again.

"People dont usually change in front of others unless they are very close to each other, okay? It just surprised me" Mingi explained and Seonghwa frowned. They werent allowed to have seperate rooms in the prison. They were always watched, having to change, bathe, eat, and even sleep most of the time with someone in the room to watch them. There was no such thing as privacy in the prison and it was odd to now be in the free world. Everything he did was wrong.

"Oh...okay then" Seonghwa spoke quietly, frown deepening a bit, "I am sorry for making you uncomfortable, you have taken care of me we-"

"No, no, its okay. I was just telling you, I was helping you learn about how things out here are different than in the prison. If you wish to change in the same room as me then you can but I wanted you to know that you have the option to be alone" Mingi reassured Seonghwa that he was fine, he wasnt in the wrong about this. Seonghwa nodded slowly, reaching up gently unbutton the remaining buttons on his shirt, letting it hang open over his chest. Mingi let his eyes briefly wander before snapping them to stare at Seonghwa's face. 

The other was already looking at him, eyes running over his face with an unreadable expression. It was weird, Seonghwa had such an expressive face and yet, Mingi couldnt tell what he was thinking in that moment. Seonghwa slowly slid the shirt from his shoulders, hearing the light sound of it hitting the floor. He stood still for a moment, holding eye contact with taller. 

Eventually he broke it, looking down at the new shirt that sat by his feet, having been dropped, along with the pants, when he slid his shirt off. He leaned down to grab it and Mingi let out a breath that he didnt even realize he was holding. Seonghwa stood straight, holding the tee shirt in front of him. He twisted it around a few times, seemingly looking for something, before looking up at Mingi again.

"This shirt is defective" he stated, holding the shirt out to Mingi. Mingi looked at the shirt in his face to the man standing in front of him. Seonghwa sighed with a look.

"It's defective and I can't put it on" he shook the shirt slightly, trying to show Mingi the defect. Mingi gently grabbed the shirt from Seonghwa, spreading it out to look at it better. He saw no problem with it.

"What's wrong with it? I dont see a problem" Mingi moved his eyes back to Seonghwa, who grabbed the shirt again. He lifted it again and turned it from front to back.

"This shirt has no buttons, it is defective and I cant put it on" he said, pushing the shirt into Mingi's chest. Mingi laughed lightly and took the shirt from him.

"The shirt isnt defective, it's just a different style" he explained gesturing towards his own outfit. Seonghwa ran his eyes down the others torso, finally looking at his clothing.

"But how do you put it on?" He asked in confusion. Mingi just chuckled again.

"You slip it over your head. Here, I'll help you," he stepped closer to Seonghwa, grabbing the bottom of the shirt to bunch it up, "you gotta lift your arms a bit for me"

Seonghwa hesitantly lifted his arms to be level with his chest, jumping slightly when Mingi slipped the shirt over his head. He looked at it in disbelief. How did that fit over his head? Where will his arms go now?

"Now I need you to slip your arm through this hole" Mingi grabbed his wrist and gently slipped it through the sleeve, doing the same to the other soon after. After Seonghwa's arms were through, Mingi pulled the shirt down to cover his stomach, stepping back afterwards. Seonghwa looked down at himself, grabbing the front of the shirt and pulling it slightly away grom his body before letting go, watching as it fell back into place.

"How?" He asked quietly still surprised that it went over his head. The top hole was smaller, how did it fit?

Mingi laughed before reaching forward to pull the collar, stretching it so that Seonghwa could see, "it's stretchy, see?"

Seonghwa nodded and reached down to pull the end of the shirt, stretching it before letting it go again.

"Oh" he whispered, staring at the shirt as it fell into place again.

"Comfortable?" Mingi asked with a smile, watching Seonghwa mess with the shirt.

"It is soft" he spoke quietly fingering the material again.

"Well the pants are soft too, if you would like to put them on" Mingi gestured towards the ground where the sweatpants still laid from earlier. Seonghwa nodded and bend down to pick them up.

"These are the same as mine?" Seonghwa asked and Mingi nodded.

"They are except they dont have a button, they have strings instead." Mingi explained, lifting one of the strings to show him. Seonghwa nodded and unbottoned his pants, looking up at Mingi briefly before pushing them down his thighs.

He stepped out of his pants and lifted one of his legs to slip it into the pants, doing the same with the other and pulling them up. They sat a bit loose around his hips and he pulled the strings, tightening them. He finished tying them and looked back to Mingi, who was staring at the wall.

"All done" Seonghwa said, startling Mingi from his thoughts. Mingi looked over him, running his eyes over the outfit. Seonghwa looked good, white shirt and black pants, he looked comfortable and warm but somehow hot all at the same time and it was killing Mingi's heart. He had just met the dude and he was already having heart problems, this wasnt good.

"Alright, do they feel okay?" Mingi asked again, taking in how the clothes were slightly too big even though San was tiny as well. Maybe Seonghwa really was a bit underweight.

"They are soft and I feel warm" Seonghwa confirmed, nodding his head one time as well.

"Okay, that's good. Now, we have to introduce you to the others and let you get to know them" Mingi nodded his head. He was happy that Seonghwa was comfortable, he knew how uncomfortable those uniforms could be.

"Okay" Seonghwa waited until Mingi began to walk before starting to as well. Mingi led them to the door and opened it, walking down the hall and making a left, the same way that Wooyoung and San went earlier. Seonghwa remembered them turning and walking down this hallway. 

They walked down the hall a bit passing other branching hallways. This building was like a maze but he would memorize it someday. Maybe Mingi would show him if he asked. As they got closer to the living room they could here the TV playing. 

They walked through the doorway and the sight that greeted them was Wooyoung and San. The younger was on San's lap, nuzzling his neck and placing kisses there very few seconds. San was leaned against the back of the couch, head lolled back and eyes closed. His eyebrows would furrow every once in a while when Wooyoung decided he was going to add a bite or two with the kisses.

Mingi rolled his eyes and continued to walk into the room, flopping onto the other end of the couch. San cracked his eyes open briefly before humming and closing them again, not concerned with Mingi's arrival. 

Mingi gestured for Seonghwa to come next to him and the shorter listened, walking over and slowly sitting himself onto the couch cushion. Seonghwa looked around the room, taking in the shelves full of books, the game systems stacks beneath the TV, and the controlled chaos that the room was in. Seonghwa continued to look, jumping slightly when he noticed someone was sitting in one of the chairs next to the couch. How was he not noticed before?

"Mingi?" He asked quietly, elbowing the other softly. Mingi hummed and glanced over to Seonghwa.

"Who is that?" Seonghwa pointed to the man sitting in the arm chair.

"My name is Minho" the man suddenly spoke, making Seonghwa jump.

"O-oh hello..." Seonghwa looked at him again, noticing that the other wasnt looking at him, "my name is Seonghwa"

The man, Minho, looked away from the TV, sending a small smile towards the other. Seonghwa relaxed at the smile, this one wasn't going to harm him.

"Sorry to scare you, I just heard you ask and decided to answer" Minho explained and Seonghwa tilted his head slightly.

"Heard?" 

"Yes, that is my ability. I have super enhanced hearing" Seonghwa nodded at the answer. Enhanced hearing was cool.

"Hey Mingi?" Minho asked, pausing his other conversation. Mingi hummed finally looking over fully.

"Have you introduced him to the others yet?" Minho asked and Mingi shook his head.

"No, not yet. I was planning to when we got in here but then I got distracted" Mingi rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. Minho rolled his eyes with a smile, this one slightly bigger than before.

"You always get distracted, just make sure that you do before he gets himself into an awkward situation. You remember how you felt at first, dont you?" Minho asked and Mingi sighed with a nod. He remembered very well how it was to come and not know anyone.

"I will, we'll do it before dinner tonight, dont worry" Mingi reassured and Minho nodded. They sat in silence for the remainder of the show that was playing and then Mingi turned to Seonghwa.

"Are you ready to actually meet everyone else now?" He asked just to make sure and Seonghwa nodded hesitantly. He was nervous, what if they didnt like him? What if they thought he was dangerous and wanted to lock him up?

He didnt realize that he had began to breath faster until Mingi gently laid a hand on his, squeezing slightly.

"It'll be okay, you have nothing to worry about" he reassured and Seonghwa nodded again, breath calming as he looked at the other. 

"Can you wait here while I go to get everyone else? That way we can all just meet in here" Mingi waited until Seonghwa nodded again before standing to walk towards the doorway. He stopped just before the door, turning to look at the couple still sitting on the couch.

"And you, you guys better still be in here when I get back. You dont get out of this just because you cant keep it in your pants" 

San cracked his eyes open again, before scrunching his face a bit, " 'm not going anywhere" 

He gave a breathy sigh and closed his eyes again.

Mingi rolled his eyes before walking out the door to call everyone else into the living room. Seonghwa took a deep breath and blew it out. Time to meet all the rest.


	7. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, he can do this, he can take care of another human being.
> 
> Whos he kidding? No he can't.

Seonghwa sat on the couch as Mingi left the room. He looked awkwardly around the room and memorized where everything sat. Just a few moments after he had left, Mingi came back with four people following behind him. Seonghwa didn't recognize any of these ones.

This continued for a while, Mingi leaving and then coming back with a small number of people following behind him. As the room became more crowded, Seonghwa became more nervous. The people kept looking at him and whispering or some of them just didnt acknowledge him at all.

He felt awkward and out of place. Eventually he scooted to the very end of the couch and curled up in the corner, tucking his knees to his chest. He looked around at the very few people that he knew but they were all busy. Minho was now talking to a small boy with light brown hair and San was still preoccupied with Wooyoung. And so he waited, he waited for Mingi to come back and hopefully, help him a bit. Just as Seonghwa thought that, Mingi walked through the doorway, the blond male from earlier following behind him.

"Mingi!" A voice yelled from the other side of the room, making Seonghwa jump and look over towards the person who did it. It was a smaller boy with blond hair, freckles dusting his cheeks. He was cute.

"What do you want Felix?" Mingi asked exasperatedly. Knowing Felix it was probably something stupid. For someone dating a super genius Felix was kind of an airhead.

"Now that youre back, can we talk to him finally? Please, hes so cute and pretty and squishy and I wanna hug him. Ple-" Mingi interrupted Felix's rambling with a slightly confused expression.

"Wait, hold on, what are you talking about?" He asked the younger, watching as he deflated a bit. Mingi didnt answer him.

"Hes talking about the blond bombshell sitting on the couch over there" Hyunjin spoke, pointing towards said couch with a bored expression. They had been friends for years now, he was used to Felix's overenthusiasm by now.

"Oh?" He looked over to the couch and saw Seonghwa looking their direction, observing the interaction with curiosity, "I mean sure but why did you have to wait and ask me? Why didnt you just go talk to him if you wanted to so badly?"

Felix gave him a look, "um because hes under your care, duh" 

Mingi looked at him for a second before blinking. Under his care? Did he unintentionally take another human being under his care? He cant even take care of himself most of the time, how is he supposed to make sure that Seonghwa is okay too?

"Under my care?" He voices his confusion slowly and Felix rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, youre the one helping him learn and watching over him, right? Or atleast thats what Chris told me" Mingi turned to the male standing behind him and gave him a look. Chan just shrugged with an unapologetic look.

"What? You were showing him around and feeding him and changing his clothes, you were taking care of him so i assumed" Mingi huffed but nodded anyway. Okay, he can do this, he can take care of another human being.

Whos he kidding? No he can't.

"So can we now?" Felix asked again once that was all sorted out. Mingi rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Uh sure, just dont get too close. Hes not used to bodily contact" Felix nodded and practically bolted across the room to kneel in front of the other, who just stared at him in surprise and mild fear.

Seonghwa jerked back when there was suddenly a boy in front of him with a brightly smile on his lips. He squeezed his knees tighter and stared at him.

"Hello, my name is Felix" the boy introduced. Seonghwa just continued to stare at him in silence and Felix frowned a bit.

"Whats your name?" He asked in hopes of getting the other to talk. Seonghwa bit his lip and ran his eyes over Felix's face.

"Seonghwa" he answered quietly and Felix lit up. He was so happy that the other talked to him finally.

"Seonghwa? Thats a cool name, I like it" he smiled at Seonghwa, who hesitantly smiled back.

"Oh my god, you are so fucking cute" Felix squealed, reaching forward to squeeze Seonghwa's cheeks lightly. Seonghwa just stared at him for a moment before trying to shake off his hands, a strange look on his face.

"How old are you? Do you know your last name? Are you naturally blonde or is it chemical? Are y-" Felix continued to ask questions and Seonghwa tried to scoot back, trying to put more distance between them. Felix was too close. Seonghwa moved his hands from his knees to squeeze the couch, one hand on the arm and the other on the cushion next to him.

"Ple- dont- too cl-" Seonghwa began to stutter. He was becoming overwhelmed, there were too many people in the room and Felix was too close and Mingi was on the other side of the room and he couldnt handle it. Mingi looked over and seemed to see the panic on Seonghwa's face, walking over to gently push Felix back.

"Im sorry Felix, hold on" he said as he gently pushed the younger away. Felix pouted before he look over at Seonghwa and realized that he was panicking. He moved back even farther and watched as Mingi sat next to the other.

"Seonghwa- hey, Seonghwa can you look at me?" Mingi asked quietly, snapping his fingers but not touching Seonghwa without permission. Seonghwa turned his head and looked at Mingi with unfocused eyes, breathing slightly too fast. Mingi grinned at him and reached out before stopping.

"Can I touch you? Is that okay?" He waited until Seonghwa shakily nodded before reaching forward to run fingers through his hair. Seonghwa began to relax at the contact and eventually, he was back to normal.

"Oh my God. I'm so, so sorry about that" Felix apoligized when Seonghwa looked over at him. Mingi looked at him too and waited for Seonghwa to do something.

"I-its okay" Seonghwa gave him a small smile and moved a shaky hand to fix his hair from where Mingi had ran his fingers through it.

"Okay, thats good" Felix sighed in relief. He really wanted to be Seonghwa's friend and would feel terrible if Seonghwa hated him for this.

"Lets start over, okay? My name is Seonghwa" Felix sighed and sent him a grateful smile.

"Alright, my name is Felix and my power is telekenisis" he replied and Seonghwa nodded. Mingi watched the two of them with a smile, this was good. It was going better than he thought it would. Soon after a few more people began to approached, the people Felix had been sitting with earlier. 

Seonghwa tensed when the big group approached and Mingi slowly reached forward to lace their fingers together. Seonghwa looked over at him in surprise before smiling slightly in thanks. He squeezed the bigger hand and turned to face the approaching people.

"Hello" he spoke quietly when they were close enough and he heard someone make a cooing noise.

"Hey, my name is Hyunjin and my power is teleportation" one of the boys, Hyunjin introduced. Seonghwa smiled at him and nodded. This one was pretty and he would be easy to remember. Seonghwa looked over at the boy who was holding Hyunjin's hand, sending him smile. The boy gave an awkward smile back, apparently he was bad at these things too.

"Hello" Seonghwa nodded to the boy and waited for an answer.

"Hello, my name is Seungmin" the boy answered and Seonghwa nodded again. This one seemed nice.

Next was a boy with a cute face, he looked younger than the rest. Atleast a little bit.

"Hello, I am Jeongin, the youngest. Or atleast I think im still the youngest. How old are you, are you younger than I a-" The boy began to ramble before cutting himself off with a sheepish smile, "sorry"

"Not its okay, but I dont know exactly how old I am" Seonghwa smiled at him in reassurance. Mingi squeezed his hand and looked up at Jeongin.

"I think he is older than you are, based off of your bodies but dont hold me to that because I dont actually know" Mingi answered and Jeongin nodded with a smile.

"Okay"

"Who do you still need to meet? Have you met Chris yet? What about Woojin or Yeosang, have you met them?" Felix began to ask again, slowing down slightly when Hyunjin gave him a look.

"Chris?" Seonghwa asked looking at Mingi.

"He means Chan, theyre not originally from around here and have different names" Mingi explaimed and Seonghwa made a little 'ah' sound in understanding.

"Yes, I have met Chris but I dont know the Woojin or Yeosang" Seonghwa answered and Felix hummed, looking around the room.

"Aha, found them. Hold on and i will go get them so that they can meet you." Felix ran to the other side of the room and began talking to some people that Seonghwa didnt recognize. He watched as they talked, taking in the way that they interacted together.

"Are you doing okay?" Mingi leaned over to whisper in his ear, startling him out of his thoughts. He looked over and gave a small smile.

"I am fine, thank you" Seonghwa squeezed his hand in reassurance as Felix came back with three people instead of two.

"Seonghwa, this is Woojin, Yeosang, and Jongho" Felix introduced him to them, gesturing behind him. Seonghwa raised a hand to give them a small wave.

"You are adorable" one of them cooed.

"I know right, I always knew that you were my favorite Woojin. Hyunjin wont fanboy with me but look at this guy, he is literally a baby" Felix gestured to Seonghwa, who felt his cheeks and ears heat up slightly at their words.

"Please ignore them, my name is Yeosang and my power is manipulation of nature" another male spoke, stepping around Woojin to talk to him.

"Hello, I am Seonghwa" he smiled and saw the remaining male step forward as well.

"Im Jongho, super strength" the boy held out a hand and Seonghwa hesitantly reached forward to grab it. Mingi watched carefully, making sure that nothing would go wrong. Jongho shook his hand gently and released him with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you Seonghwa" he said and Seonghwa nodded back to him.

"Yo San, get your tongue out of Wooyoung and come introduce yourself!" Yeosang called to the pair at the end of the couch. San looked over at him with a scowl but gently moved the younger off his lap anyway, moving to sit next to Mingi. Wooyoung followed closely behind him, sitting himself back down in his previous spot but faced Seonghwa this time.

"Hello, I saw you already" Seonghwa grinned at him and San couldnt hold the scowl, a small quirk of his lips giving him away.

"Damn it, why do you have to be so cute?" San sighed finally letting a full smile spread across his lips. Wooyoung huffed and rolled his eyes but looked at Seonghwa anyway.

"I'm Wooyoung, animal shifter"

"Oh"

"What?" Wooyoung asked looking down at himself, "why, oh? Do you have a problem with tha-"

Seonghwa leaned forward to hold Wooyoung's chin, stopping his words and gently prying his lips apart.

"You have impaled your tongue" he stated in fascination. Wooyoung make a little sound and opened his mouth farther for Seonghwa to see, sticking out his tongue.

"Yeah, I did that a long time ago" Wooyoung answered, closing his mouth again, chuckling at the expression on Seonghwa's face.

"Did it hurt? Did you do it? What is it for?" he asked quickly, he wanted to know everything about this. Wooyoung ran a hand through his hair with a lazy grin.

"It didn't really hurt a lot but it did afterwards while it healed. No I didnt do it myself, I had Changbin do it for me. And whats it for?" Wooyoung paused, glancing over at San quickly before looking back to Seonghwa, "Uh, it doesnt really have a purpose, I just liked the way it looked I guess"

"Changbin?" Seonghwa asked while processing the answers. It was a lot to take in, what purpose would someone have with an impaled tongue?

"Oh right, you havent met him yet, hes my other best friend. Hes right over there talking to Minho and Jisung, youve met Minho right?" Seonghwa nodded and looked towards where Wooyoung was pointing. He saw Minho and two people that he had never met before.

"Which one? The brown haired one?" Seonghwa asked while taking in their apprearances.

"No, thats Jisung" Wooyoung shook his head, "Changbin is the small one with black hair"

Seonghwa looked closer at them and found him. He was sitting next to the other boy, Jisung, and talking excitedly to Minho about something Seonghwa couldnt hear.

"Changbin?" Seonghwa asked, pointing at him from the couch. Wooyoung nodded and leaned back a bit.

"Yeah, hes the one that pierced my tongue for me." Wooyoung nodded and Seonghwa hummed.

"Alright, so who do we have left? We dont need to introduce you to people if you already know their names" Mingi asked and Seonghwa shrugged, looking around them. He finally realized that their little crowd had dispersed and spread out around the room again.

"He still needs to meet Hongjoong and Yunho and then he should be done" San answered, looking around the room for the people in question. He wound his arms around Wooyoung's waist and shifted to sit more to the side, calling to a shorter man across the room. The man looked up and waved at San, who waved back and gestured for him to join them. He quickly said goodbye to whoever he was talking to and walked over.

"What did you need San?" Hongjoong asked when he got to them. Seonghwa looked at him and ran his eyes over his body, this one was small. He had a cute build and Seonghwa felt himself grin.

"You still need to meet Seonghwa" San gestured towards the other and Hongjoong looked over to see him smiling at him. He smiled back and turned to introduce himself.

"Hello, im Hongjoong, mind and dream manipulation" He introduced and Seonghwa waved. Mind manipulation was so cool.

"Thank you" Hongjoong chuckled and Seonghwa looked at him with a startled expression. He hadnt meant to say it out loud.

"It's okay, I appreciate it" Hongjoong reassured him and Seonghwa nodded.

"Hey Joong, do you know where Yunho is? Hes the last one that Seonghwa needs to meet" Wooyoung asked and Hongjoong looked up in thought.

"I think he was with Yeosang last time I saw him" Hongjoong said as he walked away to continue his conversation. Wooyoung nodded and thanked Hongjoong, standing to walk towards Yeosang. Seonghwa looked at San and hummed in thought.

"He is your partner?" He asked and looked at San, who snapped his head towards him with a surprised look on his face.

"Ah, no we're not together" San answered, waving his hands in front of him. Seonghwa furrowed his eyebrows.

"But you have sex with him?" He asked again and felt Mingi choke as San turned to glare at the younger.

"Why would you tell him that?" He hissed through his teeth, watching as Mingi choked.

"I didn't, he figured it out by himself" Mingi wheezed, halfway between crying and laughing.

"What is wrong San? Was that too blunt? Mingi told me that I need to be less so because outside people are more sensitive" Seonghwa looked at him worriedly and San glared at Mingi again.

"You told him that we were sensitive?" He said incredulously and Mingi shook his head.

"No I told him that people on the outside didnt usually talk about who they had sex with so freely and then that's the message that he took out of it" Mingi defended himself.

"Um, im sorry, I didnt mean to cause a conflict" Seonghwa spoke awkwardly from the side. San and Mingi both turned to look at him.

"No its okay, it was just a misunderstanding" San assured him, glaring at Mingi one last time before looking at Seonghwa fully.

"But no, Wooyoung and I are not together and yes we have sex together but i promise you, he is just my best friend" San explained and Seonghwa thought. Best friends? Wooyoung said that Changbin was his best friend. Wait he said other best friend, does that mean-

"You are best friends? Wooyoung has two best friends, does he have sex with Changbin too?" Seonghwa asked in confusion and San's face grew a bit darker.

"God, he better not be" San muttered, glaring at where Changbin sat across the room.

"So he doesn't?" Seonghwa asked and San shook his head.

"No, he doesn't" Seonghwa furrowed his eyebrows again.

"But you said that you were best friends" he stated and San nodded.

"Yes, we're best friends"

"But Wooyoung also said that Changbin is his best friend, dont best friends have sex together?" Seonghwa was confused, why did this have to be so complicated?

San snorted, "no, not all best friends have sex together. Like Felix and Hyunjin, theyre best friends but they both have seperate boyfriends"

Seonghwa hummed at the explanation, trying to actually make sense of all of this stuff. Mingi sighed and gently rubbed the crease away from between Seonghwa's eyebrows.

"Alright, dont hurt yourself. Lets just leave it at this, San and Wooyoung have sex and they are best friends but Wooyoung doesnt have sex with Changbin and San and Wooyoung arent dating, alright?" Mingi suggested and Seonghwa hesitantly nodded. He still didnt understand. He didn't like not understanding something.

"Okay..." He answered quietly and Mingi squeezed his hand again.

"Hey Wooyoung, hurry up!" Mingi yelled across the room and Wooyoung turned to give him a thumbs up, turning and gesturing towards them to Yunho. He started walking towards them with Yunho following closely behind him, waving at Seonghwa when he got close enough.

"Hey, I'm Yunho, water manipulation" Yunho held out his hand and Seonghwa grabbed it to shake. The more he talked to people, the more he became comfortable, not even hesitating to grab Yunho's hand.

"I'm Seonghwa" he smiled and nodded, he really liked these people so far. Everyone that he has met has been very nice, if not a bit overfriendly. 

He lookes around the room again, seeing everyone talking and laughing together. They all looked so comfortable together and they all made Seonghwa feel comfortable with them as well. And as he looked at Mingi talking and smiling with Yunho he thought that maybe this wouldnt be so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I swear I love all of the Ateez members and anything bad that happens is strictly for plot purposes. I hope you enjoyed this!


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